Endgame
by Irkala
Summary: A somewhat, alternative ending to an event that I had always envisioned during the game. Something I figured would actually have happened in reality-to some extent anyway. I may add more on. From brotag's perspective-one shot.


Mitsuo Kubo.

The destroyer, the culprit, the enemy—the one who has singlehandedly brought us all into this mess. I cannot say definitively if there was ever anyone else who has ever stirred up the same hatred and animosity that he has for me. It isn't that I don't like him, no I loathe him, despise him, hate him. I'm not alone in that regard either, we're all here because we wanted to stop him and end his twisted game. As of right now, we have. Here, now, we stand before him as he awaits his final punishment from us.

I've envisioned this moment for some time now, although it was with a much more iconic and seedy person—not a shut-in high school student.

My friends and I, I suppose we're what you would call "Amateur Detectives." But ironically, we have done far more than the local police department has. This kid has killed three people and they have no idea, even if they did they can't prove this world exists, nor can they come here. My friends and I, we're special, and because of that, we're here—ready to administer justice under our own merits. This monster did it for attention, did it for self gratification, nothing more. In some sense, I admire him; that's awfully ballsy. To let go of merits, ethics, morals, and everything else and to simply Kill upon instinct and desire is rather impressive. In the end, it is unforgiveable though, and we came all the way here to stop him and to end this once and for all.

About two and a half hours ago, we were at the entrance of a bizarre, 8-bit nightmare realm; all metaphorical constructs for an escapist paradise in purgatory. This game world offered nothing but childish reminiscence and disgust as we climbed higher and higher to reach its corrupt king, its ruler, Mitsuo.

Just this past half hour, we were engaged in a battle against a virtual God.

Mitsuo had built himself a virtual body within a shade of his very own mind. This is nothing new, my friends and I have seen this again, and again, and again. In any case, he used façade after façade to overtake us, but in the end, we prevailed. We are strong, but we were tired and confused too. This was the end of the rope after all, after everything that has happened—this was the finale.

Now, he is before us, on the ground and in a wretched ball of dizziness and disorientation. We all stood still, waiting for someone to make a move. I could feel stares from a few of my friends here and again.

I was the "Group Leader," but I was just as confused as to what to do as well. How do we punish him?

To think a few months ago I had never met these people, I had never known this town, I had never known I had this power—it was mind boggling.

Now, we all were different people. Armored, strong, we were able to take on any evil that presented itself to us, to protect each other and those around us. This child, he was the root of this towns curse, he needed to be. . ._finished off._

I didn't want to think that though, it wasn't really my job to decide. I looked at the kid to my left, a rather obnoxious and strange boy. His face was in a twisted grimace—Mitsuo had killed someone very dear to him not half a year ago. I could tell he was very intent on making him pay; none of us would blame him. He held a kunai in his hand, blood from a few cuts on his upper arm dripped onto it as it spun. I couldn't help but stare at it and its crimson shimmer, it reminded me of my own bloodlust, something I tried to at least somewhat control but as of right now—I'd like to see what I could do if I let it go.

Three girls were to my right, one of them looked away and stared off at the surreal 8-bit scenery behind us. I could see tears in her eyes, perhaps she was conflicted too. I was beginning to think everyone was on the verge of making him pay, making him _suffer. _ I wouldn't stop them. . .no, I wouldn't stop a thing.

Another one of the girls, a more boyish type stepped forward. Her name was Chie, and her brown hair was glittered with spots of blood the signs of an intense battle. Her face was in a very focused and angry expression, she stepped directly in front of him.

"Say something," she said.

Mitsuo simply sat there, his face in his hands.

"God Dammit say something!"

He did nothing, we all did nothing.

I watched her body tense up, I thought she was going to deliver a swift kick to him. She didn't, instead I saw her anger and rage vent off of her in an intense heated aura as she turned away, looking at me and then to her friend who had wandered behind us—away from us. . .this.

A rather small and bizarre creature across from me that we had come to know as "Teddy" had stepped up to Mitsuo's side. A saddened expression on his face, he could only find the right words.

"Why would you do this?" he said after what seemed like an eternity.

Nothing.

Teddy simply looked down at his bloodied form, eventually turning away.

We were having a hard time even looking at this kid. He was the manifestation of all of our troubles and misery these past few months, but we couldn't figure out what to do with our opportunity.

I began to feel an intense resentment for him, even moreso than what I was feeling earlier.

Just then a rather tall and big guy walked up to Mitsuo. This one—Kanji was his name—he was a bit of a hot head. I didn't know what to expect from this, surely Kanji would strike this kid down. Kanji would do what we all secretly wanted him to do. He was incredibly strong and could hit like a train, deep down, I wanted him to destroy this kid.

He stared at Mitsuo.

Mitsuo raised his face out of his hands, looking at Kanji with a big grin. The nerve, I don't think he knew how serious this was.

"A-are you going to kill me? Haha, is that is? Are you going to kill me? Haha, hahaha, HAHA, HAHAHAHAH!"

I froze up, that sickening laugh. I hated him, I hated him with every fiber of my being. I wanted him dead-now. I took a step forward, Kanji quickly turned and put his arm out to stop me.

"No," he said.

With that Kanji knelt down and made direct eye contact with Mitsuo. Everyone waited, no one said a word. Kanji grabbed the kid by the hair, this was not going to end well.

"Kanji—" I stammered, only to be cut off by him quickly standing up and slamming his knee into Mitsuo's face.

Blood poured all over Mitsuo's face, it contorted into a grimace as he tried to put his hands over it, making soft crying sounds at his broken nose. I couldn't move, why should I? Why should any of us?

Kanji stood over Mitsuo, he had his back to me now but I could sense something, something awful coming from him. I had this feeling before, when we were fighting Kanji's shadow—it wasn't the shadow I was sensing though, Kanji was completely in control. That frightened me.

Kanji raised a leg and stomped straight down onto Mitsuo's face, I heard a loud thud—his nose was completely shattered now, blood was all over the surrounding ground around Mitsuo's head. This was getting messy, this was getting out of hand—fast.

"K-kanji wait!" the last girl to my right said. She was rather innocent, not the type to be violent herself—her name was Rise. Despite her cries for him to stop, I knew in reality they meant nothing.

Kanji said nothing as well. He raised his leg again, once again bringing it down on Mitsuo's face.

"That's enough Kanji!" Chie said, taking a small step forward. She wouldn't stop him though, I knew she wouldn't. Yosuke, the boy next to me, had a big grin on his face. It unsettled me, like a hyena's grin—he looked like he'd jump in any second now.

Kanji still said nothing, sitting down on Mitsuo's chest. Now I knew without a doubt, this was going to get bad. I turned to see the girl behind me, Yukiko was her name. She had tears streaming down her face, but she was deep in a trance at the violent struggle before her, almost hypnotized by the brutality. I wouldn't blame her, I turned back to see Kanji stretching his arms.

Mitsuo's face was almost completely unrecognizable, completely red and bloodied. Teddy was only a few feet away from him, a blank look on his face—almost like he was expecting this.

Kanji began hurling punch after punch into Mitsuo's face, each hit making a distinct *Cluk* sound. I walked to Teddy's side, I wanted a better view but I didn't at the same time. Blood was spattering with every punch; Mitsuo's face was just oozing gore. Kanji's face and chest were covered in red, it was his face though—I have never seen such an unearthly and blank expression on his face, or anyone's for that matter. He almost wasn't even there, I was almost certain that I was looking at someone else, something far more cold then the big softy that we came to know as Kanji.

"Mother fucker. . ." Kanji whispered, his voice almost sounded raspy—like he was going to break down any minute.

He began hammering Mitsuo's mouth in with his combined fists, I could see a few teeth chipped—perhaps from the stomps given earlier. Mitsuo kept sputtering something but I couldn't make it out, and between Kanji's repeated punches, there was no way to hear him. After another minute he lost consciousness, or so it appeared. Kanji was not going to stop though, he kept hammering and hammering away.

"Kanji. . ." I said under my breath. No matter what we said, it was futile.

I looked over to Yosuke who was staring down at his kunai. He had a bewildered look on his face.

"Kanji!" Yosuke said.

Kanji stopped, slowly turning to Yosuke. Amazing, Yosuke—someone, had finally stopped the barrage.

"Move," Yosuke said, a faint grin on his face.

Chie's eyes widened, she looked at me. I could only look down at Mitsuo, what was going to happen now?

Kanji got up and—with the same blank expression, walked beside me and Teddy. Kanji somewhat nodded to Yosuke, almost as if he understood. Just then I understood, we all did. Yosuke took Kanji's place on Mitsuo's chest.

I couldn't help but feel a pity for the kid. He was completely unrecognizable, completely disfigured now. His shattered and deformed nose, his shredded lips and mouth that looked as if it was breathing gore. His eyes were pitiful, bloodied and caved in, swelling from the brutality Kanji dished out. Yosuke was not going to give mercy, in fact I already knew what was coming. We all did.

"Yosuke please," Rise said, her eyes on the verge of tears.

I wasn't going to stop him, I wanted him to do it.

The intense and sinister aura that Kanji had was still there, and almost doubled—Yosuke was exhibiting something similar. He simply stared down at Mitsuo, a grin on his getting bigger and bigger.

"You-y-you, you killed her. . .I-I'll, make you—" he raised a kunai, he was somewhat laughing it sounded like, an absolutely insane laughter was escaping his trembling voice.

I held my breath, for some reason I think we all did.

In an instant a huge gash has appeared on Mitsuo's face: across his lower right corner of his lips, up across the shredded meat mass that was his nose, to the bottom of his left eye. It was deep, Yosuke clearly put a lot of strength into it.

"Suffer!" Yosuke yelled, swinging again, and again, and again.

He wasn't just getting Mitsuo's face though, he was slashing his throat and chest too. He seemed to particularly be focused on the throat. It didn't take long for him to slice Mitsuo's carotid artery. Blood really was pouring out now, the growing pool of blood around his head was now growing at a horrific rate.

"Die! DIE! DIE!" He kept yelling, he was beginning to cry. I watched the tears mix with the blood spatter that was gradually appearing more and more on his person. I looked over to Rise who was covering her eyes, visibly shaking at the horror before all of us. Chie, Teddy, and Yukiko all watched with bewilderment, I think they all honestly thought this wasn't really happening. I couldn't be like that, I knew this was all too real. _Too real._

I couldn't move, it was just too incredible.

Soon, all movement, from shock and terror or anything else, ceased from Mitsuo's body. There was no sound, no movement, nothing. We all sat there, in a silence that almost drove me to a madness. I just wanted someone to say something, someone to break us out of this nightmare.

No one did.

It seemed almost as if we sat there for an eternity, an infinity in a twisted purgatory on the edge of existence.

Yosuke finally stopped, he stopped sobbing and all the anger seemed to have left his body. He stood up, and with Kanji's blank expression he walked over to the door to leave. He stopped at its threshold.

"Well, let's go," he said.

I didn't know how to respond. No one did. I could hear Rise faintly crying—her face still covered, Teddy seemed to be doing some sort of heavy breathing, almost as if he was having a panic attack. I looked over at him, only to be met with the same blank expression. Chie and Yukiko stared at me, their faces looked so worn, so tired and exhausted of their life. We were all hollowed out, all dead inside. Mitsuo's death had broken us, our strong ties had been twisted and pulled to their limits.

I stood up.

"None of us tried to stop this, none of us," I said.

I wanted to say it as flatly as I could, just to get the point across. No one said a word. It was settled, we all knew where we stood on this. We were in this together.

We stopped the killer, permanently.

When I came here, I didn't think it would end like this, none of us did. Now, looking back, that seemed so foolish, so naïve. He needed to be punished, the victims needed retribution. They got it, in our eyes. Kanji and Yosuke, they did what the rest of us couldn't, they took the initiative. I don't regret it, not at all.

We all stopped at the exit point. Everyone looked sick and exhausted, bearing grim expressions. Somehow, I felt we were all closer and stronger now—it just wouldn't surface for a while. It needed to sink in. The truth is, the police would never find this place, and they would never know what happened to him. They would never know that we killed him, they would never know that the killer has long since been disposed of. None of us would tell, none of us would reveal the hideous revelation to them. It felt good, but horrible too. We were all tainted—I could only imagine how Kanji and Yosuke felt. It didn't matter though, it was done and over with. He was dead, Mitsuo had reached his endgame. There would be no more killings, not on our watch.

We acted as the hands of justice and we succeeded. We would return home from here and try to continue our lives. Only time would tell how well we would do.

When you kill someone or watch someone die face to face, no matter how evil they are, something inside of you breaks. Whatever it was, we left ours in that room with Mitsuo's bloodied corpse. It would stay here with him for all eternity. It would fade out of existence with him, and we would desperately try to live on with what we witnessed—what we did.

The righteous hands of God, or perhaps something more sinister—humanity's instinct to kill and enjoy bloodshed? In any case, it reared its ugly head and we got to witness it first hand.

I'll never forget the horror, I will never forget my friends terrified faces, I will never forget the joy and peace that was sucked away from us that night—that Mitsuo took from us.

We died in there with him.


End file.
